Cannabis plant named &#39;21af0716&#39;

ABSTRACT

The unique annual herbaceous  Cannabis  plant variety ‘21AF0716’ is provided. The variety can be distinguished by its outstanding features of increased resistance to powdery mildew, higher total yield, and larger inflorescences compared to its parents.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present Application for Patent claims benefit of ProvisionalApplication No. 63/365,117 entitled “CANNABIS PLANT NAMED ‘21AF0716”filed May 20, 2022, which is hereby expressly incorporated by referenceherein.

Latin name of the genus and species: Genus—Cannabis. Species—sativa.

Variety denomination: The new Cannabis plant claimed is of the varietydenominated ‘21AF0716’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a new and distinct annual variety of C.sativa, which has been given the variety denomination of ‘21AF0716’.‘21AF0716’ is intended for use as a plant both commercially as well asfor home growers, including as part of a breeding program to developimproved Cannabis varieties.

Background of the Related Art

The genus Cannabis has been in use by humans for millennia, due to themultiplicity of its benefits to humans, including the considerable valueand utility of its fiber, the nutritional value of its seeds, and themedicinal value of its floral parts and products made from them.Currently the genus is under intense legal commercialization in theUnited States as industrial hemp for a variety of purposes includingbiodegradable plastics and building materials, clothing, paper, food,fuel, and medicines.

Cannabidiol (CBD) extracted from Cannabis is widely used inover-the-counter medicines and topical treatments and is also the activeingredient in the FDA-approved drug Epidiolex®. CBD is just one of atleast dozens—perhaps hundreds—of cannabinoids endogenous to Cannabis,tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) being the other cannabinoid that is mostwell-known. The cannabinoids as a group interact with the humanendocannabinoid receptors, which are distributed in the brain andthroughout the body. The study of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) inhumans and other mammals is an area of increasing interest and holdstremendous promise for the future of medicine. See, e.g., Russo (2019).Cannabis and Pain, Pain Medicine, 20(10): 1;20(11):2083-2085; and Russo(2016). Clinical Endocannabinoid Deficiency Reconsidered: CurrentResearch Supports the Theory in Migraine, Fibromyalgia, Irritable Bowel,and Other Treatment-Resistant Syndromes, Cannabis Cannabinoid Res. 1(1):154-165.

Non-hemp forms of Cannabis, frequently referred to as marijuana, havebeen legalized for medicinal use in many states and for recreational use(sometimes called “adult use”) in a growing number of states. It isexpected that the wave of legalization will continue to the point ofsome form of federal legalization or decriminalization.

Typically, marijuana products are available to users for purchase inspecialized “dispensaries” that offer dried flower, edibles, tinctures,extracts, and the like. In some cases, a unique or unusual chemicalprofile, or chemotype, is attractive not only for flower sales but alsofor use in the preparation of extracts and/or isolates and for themanufacture of a variety of products that possess characteristics of thechemotype.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct annual variety of C.sativa, which has been given the variety denomination of ‘21AF0716’.

The new C. sativa variety is a selection resulting from a sexual crossof C. sativa plants in San Mateo County, California, in September 2021,involving a seed parent known as ‘Gelato 33’ (unpatented) and a pollenparent known as ‘Purple Punch’ (unpatented).

Selection criteria were high yield, dense flowers, and resistance topowdery mildew under greenhouse conditions.

The selection was subsequently evaluated for a number of years inCalifornia.

Asexual reproduction of the new variety by cutting propagation since2021 in San Mateo County, California has demonstrated that the newvariety reproduces true to type with all of the morphologicalcharacteristics, as herein described, firmly fixed and retained throughsuccessive generations of such asexual propagation.

Certain characteristics of the new variety have been repeatedly observedand can be used to distinguish ‘21AF0716’ as a new and distinct varietyof C. sativa plant. Plants of the new variety differ from plants of theseed parent ‘Gelato 33’ primarily in node spacing betweeninflorescences, increased inflorescence size, inflorescence density,yield as total weight per plant, and floral aroma. Plants of the newvariety differ from plants of the pollen parent ‘Purple Punch’ inincreased continued growth under flowering light, increasedinflorescence size, yield as total weight per plant, and floral aroma.The variety expresses increased resistance to powdery mildew, highertotal yield, and larger inflorescences than either parent. It exhibitscontinued growth under flowering light and dark purple coloration on theinflorescences similar to the seed parent and exhibits the inflorescencedensity and resistance to production of stress-induced male flowers ofthe pollen parent.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying photographic illustrations show the typical appearanceof the new variety ‘21AF0716’. The colors are as nearly true as isreasonably possible in a color representation of this type. Colors inthe photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in thedetailed botanical description which accurately describes the colors ofthe new plant.

FIG. 1 is a photograph of the new variety ‘21AF0716’, demonstrating thefinished flower on a row of mature plants (2 months of flowering undergreenhouse conditions).

FIG. 2 is a photograph of the mature flowers of the new variety‘21AF0716’.

FIG. 3 is a photograph of young flowers of new variety ‘21AF0716’ at 1month into flowering under greenhouse conditions.

FIG. 4 is a photograph of young flowers of the new variety ‘21AF0716’ at5 weeks into flowering under greenhouse conditions.

FIG. 5 is a photograph of the immature plant of the new variety‘21AF0716’ at 3 months of growth under vegetative conditions.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description sets forth the distinctivecharacteristics of ‘21AF0716’. The datum which defines thesecharacteristics was collected from asexual reproductions of the originalselection. Dimensions, sizes, colors, and other characteristics areapproximations and averages set forth as accurately as possible. Theplant history was taken on mother plants approximately 3 months old, andthe descriptions relate to plants grown in Half Moon Bay, California.

-   Type: Herbaceous annual.-   Classification:    -   -   a. Family.—Cannabaceae.        -   b. Genus.—Cannabis.        -   c. Species.—sativa.        -   d. Common name.—Marijuana.-   Parentage: ‘Gelato 33’ x ‘Purple Punch’.

PLANT

-   General:    -   -   a. Parentage—i. Female parent— ‘Gelato 33’. ii. Reversed            Female parent— ‘Purple Punch’.        -   b. Growth habit.13 Medium growth habit with strong branches            and compact structure.        -   c. Hardiness.—USDA Zone 2 and higher.        -   d. Average height.—56 inches.        -   e. Average spread.—28 inches.        -   f. Productivity.—623 grams.        -   g. Disease resistance/susceptibility.—Low disease            susceptibility under standard growing conditions.        -   h. Pest resistance/susceptibility.—Higher resistance to            powdery mildew than either of its parents.        -   i. Fragrance.—Cake, cookie and gassy aroma.        -   j. Proportion of hermaphrodite plants.—Low.        -   k. Proportion of female plants.—Female plants are            agronomically significant and seeds are feminized.        -   l. Type of inflorescence.—High branched compound racemose.        -   m. Photoperiodicity.—Short day photoperiod sensitive.        -   n. Pollen.—i. Amount — Scarce. ii. Color —White.

STEM/CENTRAL STALK

-   General:    -   -   a. Average diameter of stem.—1 inch.        -   b. Average length of stem.—48 inches.        -   c. Shape.—Tubular.        -   d. Depth of grooves.—Shallow.        -   e. Pith in cross section.—Medium.        -   f. Trichome type.—Few trichomes.        -   g. Color.—Green.

LEAF

-   General:    -   -   a. Leaf arrangement.—Alternate.        -   b. Leaf shape.—Palmately Compound.        -   c. Leaf margins.—Serrate.        -   d. Leaf apex shape.—Acuminate.        -   e. Leaf base shape.—Attenuate.        -   f. Number of leaflets per leaf.—5-7.        -   g. Trichome type (top surface).—On sugar leaves near            inflorescences numerous cystolithic hair, bulbous, capitate            sessile or capitate stalked.

    -   h. Texture of top and bottom surfaces.—Pubescent leaves.

    -   i. Venation type.—Pinate.

PETIOLE

-   General:    -   -   a. Surface texture.—Pubescent.        -   b. Anthocyanin intensity.—Intense at end of growing season.        -   c. Color.—Green to purple.

FEMALE FLOWER

General:

-   -   -   a. Natural flowering season.—Summer.        -   b. Color—Purple. i. Trichome type — Numerous cystolithic            hair, bulbous, capitate sessile or capitate stalked,            trichomes start clear turning to amber over time. ii. Color            — Green to purple.

‘21AF0716’ can include a cannabinoid profile as set forth in Table 1.Chemotypic characteristics of the new variety are variable based uponcultivation conditions, as is typical of Cannabis plants. Accordingly,while chemotypic information provided herein is representative ofperformance of the new varieties under a particular set of cultivationconditions, it is not limiting on other chemotypic profiles obtainableunder a different set of cultivation conditions. Thus, the values setforth in Table 1 do not reflect the only possible range of outcomes thatcan be obtained from plants of the new variety. These values are merelyexemplary of observed values (middle column) and predicted normalvariations from the observed values.

TABLE 1 Exemplary Profiles of Key Cannabinoids. Cannabinoid PercentPercent Percent Percent Percent THCa 17.63625 18.812 23.515 28.21829.39375 Delta 9 THC 0.472425 0.50392 0.6299 0.75588 0.787375 CBGa0.4206 0.44864 0.5608 0.67296 0.701 CBCa 0.141375 0.1508 0.1885 0.22620.235625 THCVa 0.054075 0.05768 0.0721 0.08652 0.090125 CBDa 0.032550.03472 0.0434 0.05208 0.05425 CBG 0.031725 0.03384 0.0423 0.050760.052875 Total THC 15.939375 17.002 21.2525 25.503 26.56563 Total CBD0.028575 0.03048 0.0381 0.04572 0.047625 Total 11.0266 17.64256 22.053226.46384 27.5665 Cannabinoid *Total THC = (THCA * 0.877) + THC (i.e.,delta 9 THC) + delta 8 THC **Total CBD = CBD + (CBDa * 0.877) ***TotalCannabinoids = Total THC + Total CBD + Total CBG + Total THCV + TotalCBC + Total CBDV + Δ8THC + CBL + CBN]

1. A new and distinct variety of Cannabis plant named ‘21AF0716’, as illustrated and described herein. 